Happy Birthday Evelyn!

Our friend Evelyn turned 1 last week ... we had a lot of fun at her birthday party. Noah didn't get to eat cake, but he enjoyed watching Evelyn.

Acceptance

Plus Three Teeth, Minus One Beard

It feels like fall this week ... maybe it's because I've spent the last week in the school library or maybe it's because the weather, but I feel like sharpening pencils and buying lunch boxes with cartoon characters on them. I'm sure I wrote about this before, but there is something so special and distinct about the feeling of fall and I love it. Sacramento in the fall is so amazing, maybe it's because it's the "city of trees" and so all of the leaves change and fall or maybe because the fall is the start of our family's celebration season, who knows? I just know it feels special. All of the Jewish holidays and the birthday celebrations that happen in September feel like they are connectors to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Maybe I'm so excited about Fall because this Summer has been so off ... I hate to call it awful, because I have been able to spend so much time with Noah and that has been amazing. But, Greg's injury did sour things. He is doing great now and is sans casts and stitches and his big poofy beard (he decided he wasn't going to trim his beard after the accident, until he could do 5 push-ups). He's been able to hold Noah and even change diapers! I honestly don't know how single mothers do this, or how people have more than one ... needless to say it's amazing to have my husband back! Not just because he can change diapers, but because not having him around was lonely and him not being able to hold Noah or play with him was sad.

Noah is changing so much right before my eyes. He is getting 3 more teeth and his hair is getting thicker (or just darker). He crawls so fast and is getting into everything. He's very curious and loves opening and closing cabinets and doors. He's still our little water bug and loves to stick his face in the water and blow bubbles. He is babbling more than ever and still calling everything "ma-ma" but he also says "da-da" and "doggie-doggie". The girls at daycare thought he was talking to another baby in his class named "Doug" which I thought was very cute.

I love dropping him off at daycare. Not because I'm leaving him with other people, but because the buildings all seem happy. Children's toys are waiting outside and there are little smiling faces and girls with pigtails waiting inside the fenced playards. Kids crafts made out of sticks and paint line the walls and there's a sandwich board with notes to the parents, which reminds me of elementary school. I loved elementary school! I loved Deterding and never wanted to leave it. I couldn't wait to get to move up to the hill to the big kid playground, I loved back-to-school night, art class, recess and playing sports on the big field. I remember walking to school every morning and cutting across the giant soccer field to get to my classroom. Mr. Coleman's class was my favorite; I used to tell my mom that I wanted to stay in 3rd grade forever.

Noah no longer cries when I drop him off at school and when I get there to pick him up, he hears my voice and quickly crawls over to the gate and lifts his arms up for me to hold him. Noah gives great hugs and when I pick him up he grabs onto my left side and wraps his chubby little arms around my neck. It's one of my favorite feelings in the whole world!